The present invention relates generally to image recognizers and methods for recognizing an image, and more particularly to an apparatus for recognizing an image signal representing a mark on a mark sheet which has been written in a predetermined format, the image signal being transmitted thereto via a line network, and a method for recognizing such a mark. The present invention is applicable to an apparatus for recognizing a handwritten mark transmitted from a group 3 (abbreviated G3 hereinafter) facsimile apparatus via a telephone line.
Recently, a facsimile apparatus (abbreviated FAX hereinafter) serving as a mark reader has been proposed by Japanese Patent Publication No.53-26945. According to the reference, the FAX, operatively interconnected to a line network, reads and transmits a mark on a mark sheet. Since the FAX serves as a mark reader, no additional mark reader, such as an optical mark reader (abbreviated OMR hereinafter), is needed for reading the mark, so that the mark can be inexpensively transmitted.
However, the above method for transmitting the mark has a disadvantage in that a communicatee terminal to which the mark is transmitted from the FAX cannot always accurately recognize the mark because of the deteriorated quality of the mark. Hereupon, the quality of the mark is affected by the scale, line width and density of the mark, a rumbling of and dirt on the mark sheet, chattering at interfaces of a transmitter and/or receiver, and noises generated during the data transmission.